Ancient Burdens
by icywolfblade
Summary: Naruto is being pursued again by angry villagers bent on revenge... Hinata is walking and accidentally stumbles upon "the demon", and though both of them don't know it, a prophecy is being fulfilled...
1. first meetings

_My life sucks. Why do these people pursue ME of all people? I wish I had it better. _These thoughts ran repeatedly through the ten-year-old boy's mind as he ran, brushing by the undergrowth before finding a shadowed tangle of tree roots. He dove for the shelter and hid there, panting slightly, and waited for his pursuers to pass. Eventually, the footsteps and shouting faded away, before he drifted off into a deep slumber.

The boy slept fitfully. In his dream he was being pursued again, but this time by bloodhounds intent on his trail. He ran with his heart thumping in his mouth. While running, he happened to glance in the stream. Eyes bugging out at the sight that greeted him, he realized what it was. Just then, the earth started shaking.

"Hey, hey! Wake up, boy! It's just a dream!" Said boy slowly opened his eyes, drowsily blinking before starting in alarm. The curious and concerned pair of eyes in front of him was white, with no pupils. His sudden movement also caused the pair of eyes to back off a bit, allowing him to see the owner of those peculiar eyes. Gazing upward, his own cerulean blue eyes ran over the girl. She seemed to be around his own age, with short indigo hair that reached just below her ears. Her bangs and two locks of hair that was slightly longer than the rest only served to accent the well-shaped face with the creamy skin. In the afternoon light, the sun seemed to make that skin glow, making her seem all the lovelier. Scanning downward, he noted that she had a nice figure, long legs, and small feet.

Now that his eyes were opened, the girl noted that his eyes matched the sky on a clear day. Hair stood up in spikes, and she could tell it was blonde, even under all the dirt and grime. As he blinked sleepily, she saw his cheeks were sunken, and he had sores all over his skin, sure signs of malnutrition. Pity wrenched her heart as she realized he probably hadn't had a decent meal in weeks, maybe months.


	2. Chapter 2

Dimly a sound filtered past the foliage.

"HINATA – SAMA!!! HINATAAAAAAA - SAMAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DINNER TIME!!!!!!"

Hinata recognized her nursemaid's voice calling her back to the compound.

Hurriedly, she dug into the hidden pocket of her kimono and brought out a packet of onigiri, handing them to the starving boy.

"A-ano, here. They w-will at least keep you f-from st-st-starving. M-meet me here a-again, tomorrow, o-okay?"

Hinata got her stutter back, since the boy wasn't in danger anymore. Turning, she fled towards her nursemaid.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Naruto was back in his dingy apartment, chewing contentedly on his onigiri that the "fallen angel' – his affectionate term for the mysterious girl he had met in the forest – had given him earlier that day.

_Hmmmm… something good DID come out of today's adventure… I guess. At least I won't have to scrounge around for dinner in the garbage pail again. The people around here are so stingy! I couldn't find food for a month…_

He had managed to sneak back, avoiding the crowd of angry villagers still pursuing their prey, though the mob had gotten considerably smaller since. Many got bored with the day's "kill the demon" game and decided to go back to doing their jobs.

_Eh, she said to meet her there again tomorrow. What do you think, Kyuubi?_

**Well kit, she didn't seem too bad, so I say we chance it and go again tomorrow.**

Naruto had discovered the great Kyuubi no Youko residing in him two months ago when he was recovering from another one of the villagers' "kill the demon" games. Now he looked to Kyuubi as rather a friend and advisor. Anyhow, the demon had taught him quite a few powerful jutsu- powerful to Naruto, at least.

_Alright; tomorrow we go and meet the girl again. After that we'll go and practice the Kawarimi jutsu you showed me. Sound good?_

**Yeah. **

_**Heh, he's already half in love with her… but then again, she's the only one who didn't shun him just quite yet. Well. We'll just have to wait and see tomorrow…. **_


End file.
